Katalyst Group

The Controller role is often prioritized as organizations look to strengthen financial infrastructure and reporting discipline. As reporting expectations increase and operations become more complex, the need for consistency, accuracy, and speed becomes more pronounced. That shift is shaping Chicago Controller compensation in 2026—where salary and incentives are increasingly driven by technical complexity, reporting demands, and ownership structure, not just company size. We're sharing early Controller salary benchmarks and market context based on real Chicago hiring activity, as a preview of our forthcoming 2026 Leadership Salary Guide. 👉 Read the overview by clicking link in comments. #ChicagoMarket #AccountingLeadership #Controller #LeadershipCompensation #ExecutiveSearchChicago #letskatalyze #ChicagoRoleCompensation

Continuing our series on Chicago‑specific leadership compensation, we’re taking a closer look at the VP of Finance role. This hire typically shows up when growth starts to outpace execution—when forecasting, reporting, and financial visibility need more structure and consistency. That shift is shaping Chicago VP of Finance compensation in 2026. Salary, incentives, and role design are increasingly driven by scope, ownership model, and complexity—not just company size. In our latest overview, we share early market context and VP of Finance salary benchmarks based on real hiring activity across Chicago, as a preview of insights from Katalyst Group’s forthcoming 2026 Chicago Accounting, Finance & Human Resources Leadership Salary Guide. Continuing our series on Chicago‑specific leadership compensation, we’re taking a closer look at the VP of Finance role. This hire typically shows up when growth starts to outpace execution—when forecasting, reporting, and financial visibility need more structure and consistency. That shift is shaping Chicago VP of Finance compensation in 2026. Salary, incentives, and role design are increasingly driven by scope, ownership model, and complexity—not just company size. In our latest overview, we share early market context and VP of Finance salary benchmarks based on real hiring activity across Chicago, as a preview of insights from Katalyst Group’s forthcoming 2026 Chicago Accounting, Finance & Human Resources Leadership & Supporting Roles Salary Guide. 👉 Read the VP of Finance overview in comments. #ChicagoMarket #FinanceLeadership #VPFinance #LeadershipCompensation #ExecutiveSearchChicago #letskatalyze #ChicagoRoleCompensation 

Continuing our blog series on accounting, finance, and HR leadership compensation, we’re beginning to take a closer look at individual roles. The CFO role often enters organizations at an inflection point—when growth introduces complexity, governance expectations increase, or capital strategy becomes central to decision‑making. That reality is shaping Chicago CFO compensation in 2026. Base salary, incentives, and equity structures are increasingly influenced by scope, ownership model, and organizational complexity—not revenue size alone. In our latest post, we share early market context and CFO salary benchmarks drawn from real executive search activity across Chicago, as a preview of insights that will be included in Katalyst Group’s forthcoming 2026 Chicago Accounting, Finance & Human Resources Leadership Salary Guide. #ChicagoMarket #CFOLeadership #FinanceLeadership #ExecutiveSearchChicago #letskatalyze #ChicagoRoleCompensation 👉 See link in comments to read the CFO compensation overview.

This post kicks off a new blog series exploring Chicago‑specific leadership and supporting roles compensation context across Accounting, Finance, and HR. We’re building toward the release of Katalyst Group’s 2026 Chicago Accounting, Finance & Human Resources Salary Guide—grounded in real hiring activity, confirmed placements, and how leadership roles are actually defined and structured today. Future posts will dive into individual roles, including CFO, VP of Finance, Controller, Director of Finance, CHRO, VP HR, and Internal Audit leadership. #ChicagoMarket #LeadershipCompensation #FinanceLeadership #HRLeadership #ExecutiveSearchChicago #letskatalyze #ChicagoRoleCompensation

Change is the only constant—and CFOs are leading the way. The Katalyst Group team enjoyed attending FEI Chicago’s CFO Exchange: Leading Through Change, where finance leaders shared practical insights on transformation, growth, and leadership in uncertain times. Great discussions, strong perspectives, and a reminder of how critical the CFO role continues to be. #FEIChicago #CFOLeadership #FinanceCommunity #letskatalyze

Celebrating Birthdays Together 🎉 We stepped out of the office to enjoy a team lunch on a beautiful spring day while celebrating James Lewis and Erin Jewell's birthdays. Moments like these remind us how much we value coming together—not just to work, but to celebrate milestones, support one another, and truly enjoy the people we collaborate with every day. Grateful for a team that makes time for connection. 💙 #Letskatalyze #TeamCulture #WorkplaceConnection #EmployeeAppreciation #TeamMoments #CelebrateTogether #CompanyCulture

James Lewis and Jennifer L. Williams attended the CFO Recruiting Summit hosted by Hunt Scanlon Media, alongside leaders from across the executive recruiting community. The agenda reinforced how the CFO role continues to evolve — with increasing expectations around leadership, succession planning, and building strong, future‑ready finance teams. Conversations like these help sharpen our point of view, validate what we’re already seeing in the market, and push us to continue leading thoughtful dialogue around what finance leadership really requires today. #CFORole #ExecutiveRecruiting #FinanceLeadership #ChicagoEvents #letskatalyze

Visibility isn’t about being louder—it’s about being clear. In our April Let’s Katalyze newsletter, we’re exploring: • How visibility creates access to opportunity • Why your LinkedIn profile is more than a resume—it’s your narrative • How companies engage talent long before the first conversation Across finance and accounting, we see every day how clarity and intention—on both sides—lead to stronger alignment and better outcomes. 📩 Scan the QR code to subscribe 🔗 See link for the full newsletter in comments #ExecutiveSearch #StaffingSolutions #FinanceLeadership #TalentStrategy #LinkedInStrategy #AccountingCareers #letskatalyze

Project resources are most effective when transparency is built in from the start. Michael Dudiak shares how open, guided conversations — facilitated early in the process — helped align expectations across the role, the team, and the real challenges of the work. That upfront clarity ensured that the finance and accounting interim project resources coming in were prepared, asked thoughtful questions, and were ready to contribute quickly. By partnering closely with Mike and his team, we focused on making sure project resources understood not just what they were walking into, but how they could make an impact. The result was immediate alignment and project resources who felt like true extensions of the team from day one — not just contractors stepping in. If you’re considering project resources, start with transparency. It changes everything. #ProjectResources #TransparentHiring #ProjectBasedWork #letskatalyze

Beginning in February, we’ve been sharing our Executive Presence on LinkedIn fireside chat series with JD GERSHBEIN — focused on helping finance and accounting leaders show up with clarity and intention. The conversations covered a lot of ground — but they all come back to a few core ideas: Your presence on LinkedIn is more than visibility. It’s how you lead. For finance and accounting leaders, that shows up in four ways: 1. Voice: Share what you see, what you believe, and what you’re learning. Don’t outsource your thinking. 2. Content: You don’t need to be a writer — you need to be clear. Your perspective on real challenges is what stands out. 3. Relationships: Opportunities don’t start with applications. They start with conversations — often within your existing network. 4. Evolution: Your profile isn’t static. It should reflect how you’re growing, what you’re seeing, and where you’re headed next. Individually, these ideas matter. Together, they create momentum. That’s what we see every day working with finance and accounting leaders — those who show up with clarity, stay connected, and evolve with intention are the ones who create the most opportunity. A big thank you to JD for sharing his expertise and to you, for following the series! If you’re just jumping in, it’s all worth a look. And if there’s one takeaway: Be intentional about how you show up — because people are paying attention. #FinanceLeadership #CFO #Controller #FPandA #ExecutivePresence #Leadership #ChicagoBusiness #owlishcommunications #letskatalyze